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New AT&T App Reports Dropped Calls

By Roy Furchgott December 10, 2009 12:58 pmDecember 10, 2009 12:58 pm

Owners of iPhones have turned complaining about the AT&T network into an art form. In the past, AT&T has countered that its service is just fine, but the perception is pervasive — AT&T scored last in a Consumer Reports reader survey, coming in behind Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint.

Now AT&T is confronting the problem head-on, offering a free iPhone app called “Mark the Spot,” which lets iPhone owners alert AT&T to network problems, even when they don’t have a connection — which is the point, after all.

When you lose a call, you click Mark the Spot, which uses GPS to log your location (or mark a different location by clicking the “map” button). Then pick from a menu of problems like, “dropped call,” “failed call,” or “poor voice quality.” Then, click a button indicating the frequency of the problem, from “once” to “always.”

Finally, there is a text box where you can type your own message.

When the phone gets a connection, the app reports the dead zone to AT&T network planning, and you get a text message confirming your report has been received.

Some online grumps have suggested that this is merely public relations gimmick. “This is absolutely not a publicity stunt, our network is too important for that,” said an AT&T spokesman, Mark Siegel. The company said that it has reduced dropped 3G calls 12 percent over the past year to 1 percent, and that the app will help to make further improvements.

In fact, said Mr. Siegel, “We plan to offer this kind of app on other devices, but haven’t announced anything specific yet.”

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